Dukie Mark Pawlak is heading off to the Balkans to attempt the 100km Peaks of the Balkans Trek raising money for a small UK charity Link to Hope.

Mark, who was at the school between 1983 and 1989, served a number of operational tours in the region and is looking forward to revisiting its dramatic mountain regions.

"I spent most of my time in Bosnia on the road, often deployed with a gun troop and we travelled all across the country - that’s how I got my first good look at the Balkan countryside."

Starting June 11 he will join others from the UK to walk for six days across Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro on a route which traverses the Western Balkans along ancient mountain tracks.

The epic walk passes through villages that are separated by strict borders and fortified by bunkers, built over two generations ago when Communist regimes controlled Yugoslavia and Albania.

As part of their adventure the team will will walk to the stunning Gashi Valley, which became a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in 2017 and climb the 2366m Tromedja (There Borders Peak). 

After leaving the army Mark went to university and worked with number of digital businesses before taking his current role as editor at adventure travel company AWE365.com and as a content officer at the University of Brighton.

“This trek is a fantastic opportunity to re-visit a part of the world still largely off the beaten track and raise money for a tiny charity doing excellent work.”

Mark (Haig/Roberts 1983 - 1989)

For more information https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-pawlak

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